Device for setting tundish above mould of machine for continuous casting of metal

ABSTRACT

A device for positioning a tundish above a continuous casting mold during the casting process, the device consisting of a carriage movably mounted on rails, which carriage carries the tundish in cantilever fashion. Specifically, the carriage has mounted thereon a lifting mechanism which actuates a lever system, connected to a support means holding the tundish. The lever system takes the form of four links, two links being mounted at either end of the tundish between the support means and the carriage, and each pair of links being in the shape of a parallelogram, especially when considering an imaginary line drawn between the pivot axes at each end of each pair of links.

United States Patent Inventors Vitaly Maximovich Niskovskikh Ulitsa Festivalnaya, 21, KV. 60, Sverdlovsk; Alexei lvanovich Varaxin, Khimkikhovrino, Ulitsa Dyben K0, 22, Korpus 5, KV, 374, Moscow; Evgeny Jukhimovich Gelienbein, Ulitsa 40 Let Oktyabrya, 28, KV. 51; Lev Isaevich Safronovich, Ulitsa Kinovograd Skaya, 71, KV. 2; Leonid Georgievich Kuznetsov, Ulitsa Pobedy, 59,

KV. 5, Sverdlovsk, U.S.S.R. Appl. No. 744,520 Filed July 12, 1968 Patented May 11, 1971 DEVICE FOR SETTING TUNDISH ABOVE MOULD OF MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUS CASTING OF METAL 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 164/281, 222/527, 164/337 lnt.Cl B22d 11/10 Field of Search 164/273,

274, 281, 322329, 330, 331, (lnquired), 155, 133, 337; 266/38, 39, (Vacuum Digest), 27; 222/527 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,261,060 7/1966 McAlpine et al. l64/337X 3,273,208 9/1966 Greenberger 164/281 3,344,847 10/ 1 967 Beemer 164/281 2,768,413 10/1956 Alexandersom. 164/155 3,062,523 1 H1962 Knuppel 266/34 FOREIGN PATENTS 837,700 11/1938 France 164/273 OTHER REFERENCES Technical Digest No 9 Jan. 1968, p. 11, published by Western Electric Co. Copy in 164/ 155 Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-V. K. Rising Attorney-Holman & Stern ABSTRACT: A device for positioning a tundish above a continuous casting mold during the casting process, the device consisting of a carriage movably mounted on rails, which car riage carries the tundish in cantilever fashion. Specifically, the carriage has mounted thereon a lifting mechanism which actuates a lever system, connected to a support means holding the tundish. The lever system takes the form of four links, two links being mounted at either end of the tundish between the support means and the carriage, and each pair of links being in the shape of a parallelogram, especially when considering an imaginary line drawn between the pivot axes at each end of each pair of links.

PATENTED' m1 1 IBYI sum 1 OF 2 F/G. Z

PATENTE-n I m 1 |97| 3578.063

- sum 2 M 2 DEVICE FOR SETTING TUNDISII ABOVE MOULD OF MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUS CASTING OF METAL tundish. After completing the casting of metal, the tundish is moved away to drain the residual metal and slag. This also may be necessary in emergency cases when the stopper fails to operate.

Known in the prior art are devices for setting a tundish above amold for pouring metal into a continuous casting machine. Such a device representsa rail-mounted carriage equipped with a mechanism for lifting the tundish installed on this carriage.

In these devices the tundish is located along the carriage axis, and the frame of the carriage blocks the access to the mold and pouring nozzles. Furthermore, in the known devices the tundish lifting mechanism is stationary and built into the casting floor. This mechanism either lifts the tundish together with the carriage or raises the tundish above the frame of the carriage. This practically rules out the possibility of fast removal of the tundish from the mold in emergency cases, as

well as the possibility of employing elongated pouring noules in the tundish.

An object of the present invention is to provide such a device for setting a tundish above a mold when pouring molten metal into a continuous casting machine that it would provide free access to the mold and the pouring nozzles of the tundish. I

This object is achieved by providing a device for setting a tundish above a mold when pouring metal into a continuous casting machine which device is a rail-mounted carriage carrying the tundish equipped with a lifting mechanism, wherein, according to the invention, the supports mounted on the carriage of the above lifted mechanism and carrying the tundish are cantilevered to the carriage frame.

The above-mentioned supports of the lifting mechanism are preferably made in the form of a four-link lever system shaped as a parallelogram.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become-more fully apparent from the description of its embodiments and the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevation of the device for setting a tundish, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inventive device; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams of location of the device relative to the mold.

The device utilized for setting a tundish 1' (FIGS. 1 and 2) in a certain position relative to a mold 2 of a continuous casting machine takes the form of a carriage 3 movable along rails 4 on rollers 5. The frame 6 of the carriage supports a lifting mechanism for the tundish I. The supports 7 of the lifting mechanism carrying the tundish l are connected to the shaft 8 of the lifting mechanism through levers 9 and 10 which, in conjunction with the supports 7 and the frame 6, form a fourlink system shaped as a parallelogram. The lifting mechanism is driven by an electric motor 11 coupled to the shaft 8 of the four-link system through a coupler 12, a reduction gear 13, a crank 14, a connecting rod 15 and a lever 16.

The carriage 3 may be equipped with additional travelling rollers 17 bearing upon a rail 18 and preventing the carriage from tilting under the action of the weight of the tundish l-.

The lifting mechanism may be provided with a hydraulic drive.

. The carriage may be either self-propelled or provided with a A chain or rope drive. v

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the position of the carriage 3' (3") relative to the mold 2. The rails 4' (FIG. 3) may-be arranged in parallel to the wide face of the mold 2; then the carriage 3' with the tundish 1 will move in the directions shown by the arrows A. The rails 4" may be perpendicular to the wide face of the mold 2. In this case, the carnage 3" with the tundish 1' moves in the directions shown by the arrows B.

Before the casting operation, the tundish 1 (FIG. 1) in- I stalled on the supports 7 is moved by the carriage 3 along the rails 4 to the mold 2. The height of setting the tundish 1 above the mold 2 can be adjusted with the help of the lifting mechanism, the four-link lever system raising the tundish 1 without tilting.

The proposed invention provides for the possibility of fast removal of the tundish from the mold in emergency cases and facilitates the access to the mold and the pouring nozzles of the tundish, since the frame of the carriage is located outside the mold during the casting process.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be understood that this does not in any way delimit the invention, but rather the spirit and scope is limited only by the language of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a continuous casting apparatus: a device for positioning a tundish above a mold during the process of casting, comprising a carriage movable on rails; a tundish lifting mechanism installed on said carriage and said mechanism is connected to support means for carrying the tundish by a lever system, said support means being cantilever mounted with respect to said carriage, and said lever system having four links shaped as a parallelogram.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said carriage has a first set of wheels to movably support it upon said rails, and further comprising a second wheel which contacts another rail from below to preclude the tipping of said carriage from said rails.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mold has long sides and short sides and said rails run parallel to said long sides.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mold has long sides and short sides and rails run perpendicular to said long side.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support means are two plates positioned at either end of the tundish and adapted to support the tundish; said four links of the lever system are pivotably connected between said plates and carriage, a pair of links at each end of the tundish, and each pair of links takes the shape of a parallelogram especially when considering an imaginary line connecting the pivot points at each end of each pair of links. 

1. In a continuous casting apparatus: a device for positioning a tundish above a mold during the process of casting, comprising a carriage movable on rails; a tundish lifting mechanism installed on said carriage and said mechanism is connected to support means for carrying the tundish by a lever system, said support means being cantilever mounted with respect to said carriage, and said lever system having four links shaped as a parallelogram.
 2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said carriage has a first set of wheels to movably support it upon said rails, and further comprising a second wheel which contacts another rail from below to preclude the tipping of said carriage from said rails.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mold has long sides and short sides and said rails run parallel to said long sides.
 4. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mold has long sides and short sides and rails run perpendicular to said long side.
 5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support means are two plates positioned at either end of the tundish and adapted to support the tundish; said four links of the lever system are pivotably connected between said plates and carRiage, a pair of links at each end of the tundish, and each pair of links takes the shape of a parallelogram especially when considering an imaginary line connecting the pivot points at each end of each pair of links. 